Television

Monday, May 30, 2016

Judge: Take closer look at collateral consequences of crime when sentencing

A federal judge in Brooklyn, issued an extraordinaryopinion
that calls for courts to pay closer attention to
how felony convictions affect people’s lives, sentenced a woman in a drug case
to probation rather than prison, saying the collateral consequences she would
face as a felon were punishment enough, reported the New York Times.

The judge, Frederic Block of Federal District Court, said
such consequences served “no useful function other than to further punish
criminal defendants after they have completed their court-imposed sentences.”

The judge noted that there were nearly 50,000 federal and
state statutes and regulations that imposed penalties on felons.

Those penalties — denial of government benefits,
ineligibility for public housing, suspension of student loans, revocation or
suspension of driver’s licenses — can have devastating effects, he wrote,
adding that they may be “particularly disruptive to an ex-convict’s efforts at
rehabilitation and reintegration into society.”

About Matt

An analysis of crime and punishment from the perspective of a former prosecutor and current criminal justice practitioner.
The views expressed on this blog are solely those of the author and do not reflect the opinions or postions of any county, state or federal agency.